Thursday 6 October 2011

Question Time Tory conference edition

David Dimbleby is joined in Salford by {all of white City judging by the laments on BBC}
Baroness Warsi, {over promoted, possibly soon to be axed, co-chair of the Conservative party. Often suffers from foot in mouth. For some inexplicable reason I quite like her}
Andy Burnham, { Party leader runner..Everton supporter that he insists on mentioning at any opportunity. Shadow ed Sec}
Charles Kennedy, {Liberal leader. Al round jolly chap.Coalition supporter, albeit through gritted teeth}
Jane Moore {journo and presenter..rightist side of the page}
and Billy Bragg. {Singing {?} activist who a friend recently saw at the south bank at a free concert and said it was the best live show ever.}

This weeks guesses come from Miss CD

1- Quantitative Easing. Should we all pay our debts, except the treasury.
2 - Heatwave, global warming
3 - Right to buy council homes
4 - Amanda Knox verdict
5 - Human rights moggygate. Should politicians be allowed to make stories up to prove a point?

Update 06 October - Botogol pulls ahead.

Botogol - 16½
BQ - 14½

Timbo614 - 13½
Budgie - 13
Measured - 12
Miss CD - 11½
Nick Drew - 11½
Hatfield Girl - 11
Hopper - 10½
Philipa - 10½
GSD - 10
Malcolm Tucker - 10
Appointmetotheboard - 10
Sebastian Weetabix - 10
CU - 9½
Dick the Prick -9½
Mark Wadsworth - 9½
Miss S-J -9
Hovis - 8
Andrew - 6½
Jan - 6
Woman on a raft - 4½
Alex - 1½
Anon {1} -1
&
Electro-Kevin - ½

26 comments:

Bill Quango MP said...

1. Cameron says little. Are we reassured?
2. Growth is so poor its time to launch QE2.
3. Amanda Knox. A reason to not have a death penalty?
4. Steve Jobs. Why are young people so upset they are making shrines? Do they really believe an Ipod is an ethically sourced, environmentally friendly, wind powered, religious icon and not just a leisure accessory?
5. Moggy and human rights. 'May let the cat out of the bag' quip from Burnham.

Sebastian Weetabix said...

1. Would Boris Johnson make a better PM than Cameron after his insipid, botched, altered speech?
2. QE2 - right or wrong? (Wrong of course, though none of these useless panellists will say so)
3. Why doesn't Britain produce Steve Jobs-types anymore?
4. Party conferences - why bother/whatever happened to the rank & file debating composite motions?
5. There's no avoiding the human rights act and the cat.

GSD said...

Hi all. For the first time in ages I haven't put an EU/Euro/Greece guess down - too boringly repetitive. So the smart money would be on that one appearing this week!

1) Clark's response to T.May's cat story.

2) QE2 - Inflation is not a problem then?

3) EU referendum - why can't we have one?

4) BBC job cuts. [perhaps they'll waste less money on the conferences next year?].

5) Should our Human Rights Act (or whatever its proper name is) be binned & replaced with a new version?

Malcolm Tucker said...

1 - Cameron Keep calm and try not to let your lip quiver speech. it seems he knows something we don't. And it isn't good.

2 - May may not have been totally honest in her speech, or May, may have. Who won the £5 ?

3 - BBC cuts. 20% staff reduction..or five Johnathan Ross's. Tough call. Salford media city comes up as an example of the Beeb's munificence.
Is it time for a grown up debate about the telly tax? {no}

4. Tories and the EU. Why didn't the conference goers demand a referendum. Is it just a non issue for the party now?

5. {has to be five. Panel isn't that good.} Steve Jobs. Should Chinese Workers erect a statue for all the jobs he created for them.

Hopper said...

1. QE2 - why is Merv punishing savers and will it help?
2. BBC jobs / move - is this the Tories' revenge on the BBC?
3. BAE jobs - why can't the Govt just spend another few billion on pointless military kit (cf Nimrod MRA4)
4. Steve Jobs (for the jobs trifecta) - why doesn't the UK have someone like him?

Bill Quango MP said...

Hopper : Steve Jobs (for the jobs trifecta) - why doesn't the UK have someone like him?

We do. He works for Essex county Council

Steve Jobsworth.

measured said...

1. Cameron and pay your debts ... what to do?

2. May v. Clarke ... Catfight....cat's right to the HRA

3. How much for Foxy's Knoxy's memoires? Is it right? 

4. Steve Jobs lookalike compo in the UK 

5. Greek gets itself out of crisis by selling TV football rights? 

Nick Drew said...

1. QE (is this how you plan to pay down yer credit card eh, Dave?)
2. Jobs (Steve, that is)
3. Is sport bent ?
4. Human Rights, cats etc

+ Joker - Does Dave really 'get it' with women? (if you see what I mean)

Timbo614 said...

Back at a real keyboard :) maybe it won't try to score points by changing my words and making unintended jokes.. on the other hand cats are in again litter-ally.

1) Is QE2 going to work for us, ye olde warne downe people or just for ye Banksters?

2) Government sponsored loans for SMEs What!! Why then have we just (probably) given the banksters 75 Billion to supposedly lend to them too?

3) RIP Steve Jobs although I never bought an Apple product respect for an Uber-Geek from a little geek! Dunno what the question will be as Steve was a yank. But we'll probably need someone like him in the UK soon (or better sooner) someone will suggest...

4) Why did they change the wording of Cameron's speech - paying off your credit cards is a damn good idea - I heartily recommend it!

5) (Throw away): The contents of the Litter tray hits the fan, someone caught the cat by it's tail! Why is the news littered with such in-consequentialities? There is more important stuff to discuss like actually getting rid of the human rights act without a cat fight! Place is going to the dogs :)

Dick the Prick said...

Evening Tories - oh, oh, there's none about?

1) I like gambling but £75 billion as a put up or shut up is a little bit fucking rich for my blood. I guess there's a difference between saying it and doing it but fucking hellski...

2) Tory conference - is Cameron disconnected; what about the man on the street - credit cards, go fuck yerself rich boy! Expect Warsi to be quite strong on confusing 'community' with the fact that people need jobs.

3) Straight onto Jobs, how can Britain foster innovation; fingers crossed - may be a good question although Salford is it? Oh for fucks sake....

4) Yeah then, probably BBC cuts and a localist question. Why is Salford so singularly described as a fucking toilet by everyone who's ever visited, likely to visit, knows someone who has visited or has even heard of it? 2,000 jobs by 2013 - I fucking ask you; the BBC can go fuck themselves.

5) After reading Cranmer for far too many years the lad has a point - WTF has Conservatism got to do with gay marriage? Seriously, even the gays aren't arsed about it, matron!!

Glad Blears isn't on but a death match between Warsi and Blears would be worth the local Labour Club entry if they weren't so old.

Hopefully be too drunk to still be awake so best of luck everyone.

Dick the Prick said...

Sorry, 2,000 BBC jobs by 2017 - 5 years for people to get paid off - whoops!

Philipa said...

Am having a rather distracting week so I mostly think your guesses are spot on but I'll have a guess..

1. Agree with Seb Weetabix; cat & Ken Clarke

2. Yooman roits

3. Cams crap speech (Boris WOULD make a better PM)

4. Polls/ did you hear that 11000 folk went to Tory conf but only 4000 were members? Rest were journos,lobbyists etc. Anyway, Lib dems turnout lost all young vote? Did EMil do well? Did he..heck.

5. Growth is zero, what recovery? Govt loans??

Oh it's all so much bollox. An excuse for a party mostly.

Miss S-J said...

1. Camo and Human Rights. Is he really serious?

2. QE2. What to do. What will happen next .. no one knows. Is it even a good idea? No one knows. Did it work last time? No one knows.

3. Wayne Rooney's dad and betting or soccer or something.

4. BBC cuts. Its 5% losses over 6 years. Isn't that just the usual level of loss in a normal company? Why all the tears?

5. Hipsters take over Wall Street. is this what Billy Bragg has in mind for his leftfield music and politics agenda?

Mark Wadsworth said...

1. Human rights act, cat.

2. What's wrong with the BBC moving to Manchester, it is England's second biggest city (or possibly third, who cares) is this just more London-o-centric whining by the soft Southerners?

3. QE didn't work last time, banks aren't lending to businesses anyway, what makes them think that hoying another £75 bn at the banks on the vague hope they don't hoover it up as bonuses or lose it to rogue traders?

4. Should Knoxy be able to profit from selling her memoires? And was Matthew Wright right to ask viewers whether they want to have sex with her?

5. Corruption in sport, Pakistani bowlers, Rooney's Dad, that rugby player who used a sponsored gum-guard?
----------------
Topics which i can't add to the list as I've used up five, selling off council houses, stop welfare for people who won't travel 90 minutes, EU in-out, that pub landlady and Sky/Greece.

Budgie said...

Hope I'm not too late ....

1. QE2 - is this plan B? Who cares about inflation, or savers? Anyway it was all Thatcher's fault: if she hadn't defeated the miners the banksters would not have been able to run riot.

2. Boring conferences; are people turning away from politics; is it all a LibLabCon, useless leaders useless speeches? It wasn't like this in Thatcher's day (nod to Silly Bragg).

3. Is the only thing stopping us from deporting Cameron the No 10 cat (hat tip Guido)? Does Ken Clarke have a cat? Can I let the cat out of the bag: T May deliberately cocked up so the Human Rights act stays in place? Could we deport Thatcher (nod to Silly Bragg).

4. Corruption in sport - cricket and football. Follows corruption in politics - mainly Thatcher's fault.

5. If only Thatcher had been like Steve Jobs.

andrew said...

1 Steve Jobs. So sad. Why isn't there an English version (Clive Sinclair?)

2 QE - pointless last throw of the dice or a wise move

3 Party conferences - why do they happen

4 Do cats have human rights

5 Shoulddrug cheats be allowed in the olympics

Botogol said...

Ok here goes... (family birthday ... slightly the worse for a half bottle of viognier and, um, a half bottle of prosecco.. I can feel this whole 1.5 point lead slipping between my fingers)

1 - will 75bn of quantative easing do more harm than good?

2 - should people, in fact, do everything they can to pay off their credit cards?

3 - is there a cat's chance in hell of getting rid of the human rights act?

4 - should obese people eat less?

5 - Steve Jobs iSad, when comes such another... blah blah.

BTW the local issue question is #4 :-)

appointmetotheboard said...

Bit short of time tonight, so I'll keep this short and bitter.

1. QE II. Here's to inflating away the deficit. Or are we privatising Liz? Missed the news today.

2. Catflap / bloody forriners / bloody liberals and their human rights.

3. Steve Jobs. Who is going to invent the Mac Wheel for real now?

http://www.theonion.com/video/apple-introduces-revolutionary-new-laptop-with-no,14299/

4. BBC cuts. Is nothing scared?

5. Osborne's credit easing malarky...

Anonymous said...

We do have a British version of Steve Jobs - Sophie Wilson, born Roger Wilson, the genius behind the ARM RISC microprocessor.

Anonymous said...

Not forgetting Tim Berners-Lee.

And Matthew Wright Was wrong to ask re Amanda Knox.

(I would though.)

Bill Quango MP said...

Ok.. Dimby gives a clue. Cat is on the agenda.

Q1.Do you agree with Ken Clarke that Theresa May's comments about the human rights act were "laughable and childlike"?
Burnham lays into May. He stands up for Human Rights. Warsi seems fairly knowledgeable. Done her homework. Her break our rules, on yer bike, gets more applause than Burnham's live and let live. Forgot she was a lawyer.

Woman in audience rightly condemns Kennedy and Burnham on their insistence its just the same laws as post 1945.
It isn't. Its the interpretation of the 1998 act that has caused us such a problem.
Jo Moore is on the ball. The act isn't to be done away with, its to be amended to make more sense and not afford umbrella protection to criminals.
Bragg stands up for his convictions but doesn't find much support. I think Warsi has been the most credible. Twitter sides with Burnham.

Q: Is printing money a solution to Britain’s economic woes?
Poor Jo Moore has to answer. She hopes the banks will lend to small business. Yeah..right..I'm sure that's what will happen. Or will they buy raw materials like last time?
Dimby interrupts Warsi a lot...shhh..cam down dear.
Actually he was right..she said nothing. Bragg is correct that lending dried up. Actually it just became harder. You can still borrow. but the terms mean unless your idea is a sure fire winner it isn't worth it. The risk has moved to the borrower.
Unfortunately Bragg's solution is higher wages and hyperinflation.
Burnham is good kicking the government. Its rehearsed, but good. Except he too uses the words that the PM never said about credit cards.
{what a mistake to make..see previous post}
CK is mature and highlights that this isn't the answer. Just another to pull and see what happens. He wants much more investment in construction, which is what BQ would have done. Spent £75bn on housing, motorways, parks, docks etc.
CK backs Ed Balls.

Q: Should the UK follow Denmark's decision to adopt a “fat tax"?
Damn right. Tax those tubbies... Oh, its not. Its tax saturated fats. Will it increase the already high price of food? Yes. But not all food, just convenience food.
Audience woman says that labelling and tax on fags has made no difference to smokers.
BB is worried.So is everyone. More labels coming soon.

EU referendum Boris question. CK wants a referendum. Only if it says yes to EU though.
Warsi thinks Boris should keep his trap shut. She almost..almost hints that Cameron wants to keep the in/out for the election. Now that would be a smart move. Promise{really promise} a once and for all in/out or more in / more out referendum AFTER the next election.
Burnham wants to stay in but not join the Euro. Does he want to join the coalition?
Audience agree with the stay in.

Audience man goes on about Tories obsessed by Europe. In fact the question was dragged out daily by all media at conference to try and force the issue up the agenda. When there was the silly balls thing in the foyer - IN - OUT it was inconclusive. Its not a top priority.

London next week..

Bill Quango MP said...

4 questions asked. EU, Cat/yuman roits, Fat tax and QE.

Miss CD - 2 and sets the standard.

Sebastian Weetabix Mog and Qe as did most of us. 1/2 for a Boris mention - 2½

BQMP - 2

GSD - good shooting - 3 hits.

Malcolm Tucker - 2 {no QE?}

Hopper -1 {no QE either???} +½ for 4 q's = 1½

Measured - hmm.. good tries but 1 + ½ for camo's debt {as Burnham insisted} - 1½

Nick Drew - 2 {and was that joker a sneaky 5th Q..I think so} -2

Timbo614 - 2 + ½ for the credit card. Like the litter tray..but not enough for another ½ = 2½

Dick the Prick - 1 { but they made me laugh enough for an extra 1} -2

Philipa good guesses for a quickfire - 2

Miss S-J. Some very inspired guesses, that were unfortunately wrong -2

Mark Wadsworth - 2. {And you had that EU in/out in your reserve box too}Extra ½ for the QE answer you gave which was generally reflected by all of Salford. -2½

Budgie -2 {oddly Thatcher didn't come up. When even Bragg doesn't mention her you know she's history. I'm reading a book about her now. It seems she wasn't very Thatcherite.} - 2

Andrew. Odd q's this week - 2 is respectable. - 2

Botogol - does it again. 2 + double points for the fat tax.
- 4 !!

appointmetotheboard All good but only 2 hits. -2

Anon - were you playing? None came up, but you get one for turning up -1

hatfield girl said...

Missed the deadline, sorry but planes to Greece were all caught up in the strikes.

Am in Rhodes for the world public forum Dialogue of Civilizations (no less) and duly gob-smacked by the sheer scale of the propaganda for global governance, post democratic progressive whatsit.

'state institutions, NGOs, academics, representatives of cultural, spiritual [we have even your happiness at heart here], business and media spheres' from different civilisations of the globe are hard at it networking the future.

Gulp.

CityUnslicker said...

where is my entry? very odd as aI submitted in the afternooon, still I think I scored pretty badly anyway!

Botogol said...

woo hoo :-)

London next week -- perhaps it's time to go again.

James Higham said...

For some inexplicable reason I quite like her

She's female, Bill?